US Vice President Mike Pence and Jordan’s King Abdullah. Photo: Twitter/Vice President Pence.

This interview with Jordan’s King Abdullah — from the Petra News Agency (and posted on the Jordanian embassy’s website) — is clearly meant for an American audience:

Jordan News Agency: Your Majesty, when it comes to the Palestinian issue, have there been genuine international efforts to bring the Palestinians and the Israelis back to the negotiating table?

King Abdullah: In my interactions with US President Trump and his administration, I have sensed a commitment to bolstering efforts aimed at reaching a solution that guarantees peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, which is positive and encouraging. I expect that we will see this commitment translated into action in the near future, based on the two-state solution, which is the only way to end the conflict.

Regional issues are interconnected. Reaching just and comprehensive peace that guarantees the emergence of an independent state for the Palestinians on their national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital will, in turn, achieve security and stability for the region and its peoples. In the same vein, failure to make progress in the peace process will fuel frustration and anger among the region’s peoples and serve the agenda of extremists, who exploit the injustices perpetrated against the Palestinians and the frequent violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. We have witnessed this during the recent crisis in Jerusalem.

You won’t read about Abdullah’s muted — but clear — praise for the Trump administration’s peacemaking efforts in the media.

But the second paragraph is more interesting, even if it’s boilerplate.

Abdullah says that the lack of peace in the Middle East will embolden terrorists. This claim is trite — and false.

After all, the Island of Peace massacre occurred after Israel and Jordan’s peace treaty. Was this because of frustration at no peace — or frustration that Jewish girls can freely visit a place that they couldn’t go to before?

The entire “frustration” meme is an excuse to avoid looking at the core issue: Arabs refusing to accept Israel, even if some of them are forced to pretend that they do for politicl reasons. But deep down, the vast, vast majority of Arabs see a Jewish sovereign presence in the Middle East as temporary — just like the Crusader control of Jerusalem. If they are patient, the Arab people believe, the Jews will eventually be forced out.

Children in Jordanian schools are not being taught that peace with Israel is a wonderful thing, and that Israel is a full member of the region. And Jordan is the most “moderate” of Israel’s neighbors, by far.

Moreover, if frustration over no Mideast peace leads to terrorism, then where are all of the Jewish terror attacks coming out of this frustration? Israel doesn’t have peace either, right?

King Abdullah’s lies don’t end there. He also says that Jewish visitors to Jewish holy places are committing “frequent violations” of Muslim holy sites.

He further says that peace cannot occur without Palestinian control over “east” Jerusalem, which includes the Old City. Presumably Jews would be allowed to visit their holy site in Abdullah’s conception of peace. But why can’t Israel control it, and let the Arabs visit? If one group having control is not an impediment to peace, why is the other?